Below is the newsletter for January 27, 2025. I would love to include your original content. If you have written, or would like to write an article, it would be great to include it in the EARS newsletter.
Steven Christy, N5ZQ
n5zq@n5zq.us
Membership Minute
There is a lot of renewal and sign-up activity happening right now and the club is growing. We are excited to have 13 new members over the last couple of months. Welcome to you! EARS membership is annual: Jan-Dec. Thank you to everyone who has sent in your information and dues. If you haven’t renewed, go to k5eok.org. The button to Join/Renew is on the front page of the website and you have options. You can take care of it all at once with your credit card/Paypal if you want, or you can mail your payment. If you have any questions, email me at membership@k5eok.org.
73 everyone!
Jhansi, KJ5FVK
General Licensing Class
I am excited to announce that EARS will be hosting a General License Class starting tomorrow, January 28th. The class will meet online using the Zoom platform on Tuesday evenings from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. The class will meet on three Mondays to avoid conflicts with board meetings. There is no cost for the class except for the purchase of the ARRL General Class License Manual 10th Edition, which is the book that will be used, and the VE exam fees.
All of the class details, along with the sign-up form, are available on the General Licensing Class page on the EARS website. If you have been wanting to upgrade to General, this class is for you!
Harvey, W0HGJ
class@k5eok.org
Winter Field Day
Winter Field Day was this past weekend. I would like to thank all of you who visited our site in Guthrie. It was good to see all of you!
Thank you to David, KI5VJR, for the photos!
Steven, N5ZQ
February VE Test Session
The next EARS VE Test Session is Saturday, February 1st at 9am. If you or someone you know is planning to attend, please visit the License Testing page and complete the sign-up form. This allows the VE team to prepare to accommodate all of the testers.
If you have any questions, please contact Ralph Turner, N5AMR at Raltur47@gmail.com or you can contact him by phone at 573-999-4748.
February Siren Test
The next Edmond Siren Test is Saturday, February 1st. Please let Clay know if you have an assigned siren and you are unavailable to help this month. If you would like to be added to the list to help, please send an email to Clay, WA6LBU, at sirens@k5eok.org.
February Elmer Session
EARS has started holding a training and Elmer session prior to the monthly board meeting. Regardless of whether you are a newer or a more seasoned ham, we will have a short monthly topic that should help provide you with some good information. Following the brief presentation, there will be time to ask questions to help further your journey in amateur radio.
The next session will take place on Tuesday, February 11th at 6pm at Edmond Fire Station 5. The address is 5300 E Covell Rd. Randy will present on general operating procedures and Gary will discuss repeater usage. Please make plans to attend!
John, N5RET
help@k5eok.org
February Board Meeting
EARS holds a monthly board meeting on the second Tuesday of each month. The next board meeting is Tuesday, February 11th at 7pm. The meeting is at Edmond Fire Station 5 in the training building down the hill by the tower. The blue pin on the map below shows the meeting location.
Fire Station 5 is located at 5300 E Covell Rd which is just East of I-35. If you need any help finding the meeting location, please give us a call on the repeater and we can help you out.
Skywarn NWS Weather Spotter Training
Edmond Emergency Management will be hosting The National Weather Service for Severe Weather Spotter Training this year. Training will be held at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell Rd, Edmond, OK 73034, on February 27, 2025, from 6:30p-8:30p. This event is open to the public and everyone is invited.
More information can be found at https://www.weather.gov/oun/skywarn
Ben, KJ5IEB
Stockyards City St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The Stockyards City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is coming up on Saturday, March 15, 2025 and we need volunteer communication assistance. Everyone will need to arrive by 8am and we should be done by 11am.
This is a fun parade and a great way to get started in assisting with these types of events. No experience is necessary. If you are inexperienced, we will pair you with someone more experienced. Please complete the form at the link below if you are able to participate.
Stockyards City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Page
Any questions can be sent to parades@k5eok.org.
Green Country Hamfest
Pre-Reregistration is OPEN!
2025 Green Country Hamfest – April 11th& 12th in Claremore, Oklahoma.
Only 30 minutes from Tulsa!
Claremore Expo, 400 Veterans Parkway, Claremore, OK, 74017
MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/X9kEa
Talk-in on: 147.09+
Free Parking!!! – Low Cost ON-SITE RV Parking!
Terrific Prizes! Fantastic Forums – Learn something new! See
Flea Market – Great Bargains!
Free Test Table – Check It Before You Buy It!
On-site VE Testing Get or upgrade your license!
Advance admission is $8.00.
Preregistered Tables are $15.00 each.
Commercial booths are $50.00 each.
Tickets are $10.00 at the door.
Tables are $20.00 at the door.
Order early and save!
Online Preregistration Closes
March 31, 2025
Children 12 and under are Free!
Friday open to public at 4 PM to 9 PM
Saturday open to public 8 AM to 3 PM
Setup Friday 12:00PM.
Setup at 7:00AM Saturday until 8:00AM.
More info at http://www.greencountryhamfest.org/
OKC Memorial Marathon
Volunteer registration is open for the 2025 Marathon. You can sign up at this link: https://coraok.org/signup/
The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon was organized to be a Run To Remember for those who died, those who survived, and those whose lives were changed forever, in the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in 1995. It is usually held on the last Sunday of April each year. This year, it will be April 26th and 27th, 2025.
Operations and Duty Stations
This year, 60+ amateur radio operators are needed to cover the entire course with public service communications. We have operators that operate in all of these locations:
- at each of the 16 medical tents on the course
- this year, there will be no relay races, so those positions aren’t available
- net control operators
- five SAG vehicles
- five water and ice trucks
- in the lead vehicle for the full and half marathons
- tail-end Charlie following the last runner
- operators at the “kids’ corral” at the end of the kids’ race
- radio observers along the “last mile”
- operators on Saturday for medical tent operations, lost parents, and other positions
- operators at the Regional Emergency Operations Center in OKC
- running in the race
- and other assignments that may be needed.
Registration
Volunteer registration is now open at this link: https://coraok.org/signup/. You can join the OKC Memorial Marathon (OCMM) AUXCOMM group by clicking here to keep up with the current activities, share your pictures and experiences, or get more information there. You can also get added to the email list by emailing mkleine@live.com. Be a part of this exciting amateur radio community event.
Pre-Brief Meeting
A pre-brief meeting will be held for all amateur radio operator volunteers on April 21st at the OKC Fire Training Center, 820 N Portland, Oklahoma City, 73107. At this meeting, T-shirts, credential packets (for those in the downtown area), frequency cards, and other necessary information will be distributed.
Daily Schedules
The Saturday race day usually begins at about 0600 with an on-site check-in, and operators will be released by 1200. The Saturday races include the 5K Race, Senior Marathon, Kids Marathon, Health & Fitness Expo, and Finish Line Festival.
The Sunday race day usually begins at about 0600 with an on-site check-in, and most operators should be released by 1400. It is an enriching experience to see and assist runners from all over the world. Sunday’s races include the Marathon, Half Marathon, Quarter Marathon, and Finish Line Festival.
Most radio operators need a good mobile or base unit with an external antenna. Depending on your assigned location, an HT with an external antenna, spare battery packs, or an external power supply may also work. Please visit your designated area and test your radios with the repeaters used. No experience is necessary. You will be placed with an experienced operator if you’re new to this activity. Stay flexible and able to adapt to course changes and changes in the weather (hot, cold, rain, hail, wind, etc.). Make sure you follow the marathon communications plan.
Odds and Ends
Again this year, there will be a NO WEAPONS policy—open or concealed—for any part of the marathon.
This is the primary fundraiser for the Oklahoma National Memorial and Museum. It usually raises about 1 million dollars annually, with about 25,000 entrants expected in 2025. The amateur radio community contributes over $65,000 in volunteer time and equipment to the museum annually.
As we are officially members of the OCMM operation, we will all have a background check as part of the registration. Please fill out all the boxes as you sign up to expedite the process. Please send any special needs and/or comments to mkleine@live.com.
Sign up today and get in on the fun!
EARS Volunteers
I am sure all of you are aware that EARS is an entirely volunteer organization. That means we alway need volunteers. There are many tasks to get done and the more we share the load, the more this club will be able to do!
Below is a summary of just some of the events and activities in which the club participates:
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
LibertyFest Parade
Cowboy Christmas Parade
Cycle 66 Bike Race
Monthly Siren Test
Weekly Information Net – 52 Net Control Volunteers
Monthly VE Test Session
Bi-Monthly Club Dinner – 5 Dinners
Christmas Dinner
Technician License Class – Spring and Fall
Field Day – Also One of the Club Dinners
Severe Weather Spotting
This list does not include all of the administrative and management function of the club. The website needs frequent updates, this newsletter needs to be written, etc.
What does all this mean? It means We Need You! If you are able to help in any way, please let us know. Even if you are unsure how to help or where you might best fit, please let us know and we will work with you to find the best fit.
If you are willing to help, please contact us at k5eok@k5eok.org. That will send a message to both myself, Steven, N5ZQ, and Clay, WA6LBU and we will be in touch!
Space Weather
Space (Solar) Weather is important is impacts our radio communication. While the greatest impact is usually on HF frequencies, it can also impact VHF, UHF and even higher frequencies. The video below comes from a YouTube page that is updated about every 2 weeks with new space weather reports. I encourage you to watch her channel for updates when you can as it is very educational.
Contests
Below are a few upcoming HF contests. The ARRL has a more complete list in their Contest Corral from QST which is available as a downloadable PDF file. You can also find a list of upcoming contests along with contest details at contestcalendar.com.
Vermont QSO Party | 0000Z, Feb 1 to 2400Z, Feb 2 |
Minnesota QSO Party | 1400Z-2400Z, Feb 1 |
British Columbia QSO Party | 1600Z, Feb 1 to 0359Z, Feb 2 and 1600Z-2359Z, Feb 2 |
ARRL School Club Roundup | 1300Z, Feb 10 to 2359Z, Feb 14 |
ARRL Inter. DX Contest, CW | 0000Z, Feb 15 to 2400Z, Feb 16 |
CQ 160-Meter Contest, SSB | 2200Z, Feb 21 to 2200Z, Feb 23 |
South Carolina QSO Party | 1500Z, Feb 22 to 0159Z, Feb 23 |
North American QSO Party, RTTY | 1800Z, Feb 22 to 0559Z, Feb 23 |
North Carolina QSO Party | 1500Z, Feb 23 to 0100Z, Feb 24 |
ARRL Inter. DX Contest, SSB | 0000Z, Mar 1 to 2400Z, Mar 2 |
Web Links
Here are a few links to other websites that may be of interest.
- ARRL (American Radio Relay League) – https://arrl.org
- CORA (Central Oklahoma Radio Amateurs) – https://coraok.org
- Ham Holiday (OKC Hamfest) – https://hamholiday.com
- ARRL Oklahoma Section – https://ok.arrl.org
- South Canadian Amateur Radio Society (SCARS)
- DMR Info – https://w5nor.org/okdmr/
- They have lots of other good info on their website such as modes of operation, weather/emergency info etc.
- ARES
- ARRL ARES – https://www.arrl.org/ares
- OK ARES – https://aresok.org
- Winlink – https://winlink.org
- AREDN – arednmesh.org
- POTA (Parks on the Air) – https://pota.app
Upcoming Events
- EARS Information Net – Every Monday at 8pm
- Route 66 10m Net on 28.390 – Every Monday Following the Information Net
- EARS Breakfast – Every Saturday at approximately 6:30am at Around The Corner, 11 S. Broadway, Edmond
- EARS Breakfast Net – Every Saturday at 7am on 147.135 and 443.425
- General Licensing Class – Tuesdays beginning January 28th
- EARS Licensing Testing – Saturday, February 1st – Sign Up on License Testing page
- Edmond Siren Test – Saturday, February 1st at 11:30am
- February Elmer Session and Training – Tuesday, February 11th at 6pm at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
- February Board Meeting – Tuesday, February 11th at 7pm at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
- Stockyards City St. Patrick’s Day Parade – Saturday, March 15th, 8am to 11am – Sign Up on the Stockyard’s City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Page
- Green Country Hamfest – April 11th and 12th
- OKC Memorial Marathon – April 26th and 27th – Sign Up at https://coraok.org/signup/